Joao Cancelo Turns Down Inter Milan to Fulfil Barcelona Dream

Joao Cancelo has reportedly turned down a move to Serie A giants Inter Milan to fulfil his dream of re-signing for Barcelona.

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Barca have finalised the deal with Cancelo’s club Al-Hilal and have a verbal agreement with the player.

The Portugal international played for Barcelona in the 2023/24 season, on loan from Manchester City.

Cancelo played 42 games for the club, scoring four goals and providing five assists.

He wanted to sign a permanent deal with the club, but the Blaugrana did not retain him, possibly due to their financial situation.

Joao Cancelo Rejects Inter Milan for Barcelona

Joao Cancelo has entered the final six months of his contract with Al-Hilal. The Saudi Arabian side have to sell the former Manchester City player in the January transfer window to secure a transfer fee.

Additionally, the player is reportedly not in Simone Inzaghi’s plans for next season, further strengthening their case of offloading him.

Inter Milan enquired about the player and struck a verbal agreement with the Saudi side. However, talks broke down during personal negotiations.

Cancelo clarified that he only wanted to play for Barcelona and stalled the deal to allow the Blaugrana to make a move.

❤️ BREAKING: João Cancelo to Barcelona, here we go! Deal in place on loan until June.

Exclusive story confirmed as Barça will pay €4m as loan coverage to Al Hilal, as revealed today.

Despite Inter having deal in place with Al Hilal, João only wanted Barcelona. pic.twitter.com/Sy3CRMeIvT

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 5, 2026

Additionally, he has also agreed to take a pay cut to return to the Catalan capital. He was set to earn €7.5 million in his final six months at Al-Hilal. Barcelona, meanwhile, can offer him €4 million due to Financial Fair Play.

Barcelona can only sign the player on loan. While the situation is not ideal from Al-Hilal’s point of view, they have agreed to it.

The Saudi Pro League side do not want to keep paying astronomical wages for a player who is deemed surplus by the coach.

Hansi Flick Approves Joao Cancelo Signing

Barcelona faced a defensive crisis after Andreas Christensen suffered a partial tear of his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL).

The player is unlikely to feature again this season, which has allowed Barca to reuse 80% of his due wages to sign a player.

Barcelona were linked with a Serie A defender earlier this month. However, their delicate financial situation has kept the player out of reach.

According to reports, Barcelona wanted to sign a left-footed centre-back. But after analysing market conditions, they have settled for Joao Cancelo.

| João Félix liked Fabrizio’s post on the Cancelo transfer to Barça!

We all know his heart wants it too but it’s not possible pic.twitter.com/HsTrmmTyUb

— forblaugrana (@forblaugrana) January 6, 2026

Coach Hansi Flick has green-lit the signing, as he is a big fan of his versatility. Cancelo can play in both full-back positions, as a winger, and as a midfielder.

Flick could push Cancelo to the right and use Jules Kounde at the heart of the defence.

Barcelona are next in action in the Supercopa de Espana on Wednesday. Cancelo is not expected to play a part, as Barca must de-register Christensen before adding Cancelo to their squad.